With unemployment still at an unsettling 9%, many people may be surprised to hear there are actually fields experiencing labor shortages. One of those fields lacking qualified candidates is computer engineering, reports The Wall Street Journal.
According to the Conference Board, countrywide there were an estimated four unemployed people for every job opening posted online in December. That statistic may sound discouraging, but if you are looking for a computer or math-related position, such as JavaScript engineer or software engineer, there are jobs to be had. And well paying jobs at that!
The Wall Street Journal reports, many companies are having trouble finding highly skilled applicants for technical positions, particularly when it comes to computer programming. Gowalla Inc, a location-based social networking company, faces this very problem in their search for four computer programmers. Many of the skills needed by its programmers are so rare that the company is now willing to hire computer engineers without related experience and train them on the job, says their chief executive Josh Williams.
Accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP also struggles to find applicants with the right skills set. When Ernst & Young advertises for openings in its finance and IT consulting practices, which require experience and sometimes advanced degrees, they might only get 10 résumés in a week, and even fewer will meet the qualifications, aid Wendy Edgar, Americas director of experienced recruiting told The Wall Street Journal.
According to the Conference Board, even if all 225,500 job seekers whose last jobs were computer and math-related were to take a current opening, there would still be nearly 350,000 positions left to fill. And these positions are paid well. Very well. At Gowalla, a software engineer with no experience can start at $50,000, with potential to earn $150,00 or more. Glassdoor.com reports information technology advisory managers at Ernst & Young can expect to make between $80,000 and $180,000 a year.
The combination of job openings and pay scale, particularly in this slow-to-hire economy, make the fields of computer programming and software engineering undeniably attractive.
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